Why do football players cut their shoes?

You may have noticed that many players have the habit of cut the socks on the back, to enlarge them and avoid the stocking effect, annoying during the run. From some time, football players including Daniele De Rossi, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho have also started to cut back their shoes. A more complicated operation and from a certain point of view senseless, given that unlike stockings there are many shoe sizes from Lukaku and Ibra 47 EU to Leo Messi's 42 EU.

The reasons for this singular choice, however, seem to be medical.

The holes in the shoes are likely a way to lighten the annoyance of the so-called "Haglund's heel", a frequent medical problem among athletes, which is accentuated when wearing new shoes and in particular in those with a rigid rear edge, just like football cleats.

The inner upper in many cases has a hard plastic structure, to protect the ankle from blows and stabilize it during changes of direction.

This pathology is linked to inflammation of the calcaneus and is one of the most frequent and difficult problems to relieve among runners. Haglund's heel can also arise from postural problems or excessive stress, the most likely cause if we talk about footballers. The wear of the Achilles tendon is healed by the body with the addition of calcium on the back of the foot, which leads to the formation of the exostosis (a bone malformation) and the consequent sensation of discomfort if in direct contact with the shoe.

Despite the great evolution, soccer shoes cannot be considered the softest and most comfortable shoes possible for physical activity. The solution, therefore, remains to give us a cut, even on the tip, like Mats Hummels.